In dieser Arbeit wird unter Verwendung des Su-Schrieffer-Heeger-Modells die Dynamik des einfachsten konjugierten Polymers Trans-Polyacetylen in Mean-Field-Approximation untersucht. Dazu wird erstmalig von einer dimerisierten Peierls-Kette im Grundzustand ausgegangen, die durch einen gaußförmigen Laserpuls angeregt wird. Sowohl bei subresonanter Anregung als auch bei Anregungen hoch im Band bilden sich geladene Solitonpaare mit gemischten Gap-Zuständen, für die ein Phasendiagramm in Abhängigkeit vom Mischungsparameter abgeleitet wird. Diese Zustände werden im Rahmen des Takayama-Lin-Liu-Maki-Modells erfolgreich beschrieben.Um einen Ladungstransfer zwischen benachbarten Ketten zu untersuchen, werden die Rechnungen auf zwei gekoppelte Peierls-Ketten ausgedehnt. In Abhängigkeit von der Kopplungsstärke und der Kettenlänge ergibt sich eine Reihe von Grundzustandskonfigurationen. Bei einer Anregung mit einem transversalen Laserpuls findet ein Ladungstransfer zwischen den beiden Ketten mit einer Frequenz statt, die der doppelten Kopplungsstärke entspricht. Zur Einbeziehung der Coulomb-Wechselwirkung der Pi-Elektronen wird das Pariser-Parr-Pople-Modell verwendet. Durch Anpassung an möglichst viele experimentelle Größen wird ein geeigneter Satz von Modell-Parametern berechnet. Die von der Kette aufgenommene Energie und deren Dynamik werden diskutiert. / In the framework of the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model the dynamics of the most simple conjugated polymer trans-polyacetylene is investigated in mean field approximation. Starting with a dimerized Peierls chain in the ground state, a femtosecond laser pulse with a gaussian enveloppe is applied. For subresonant and high band excitation charged soliton pairs are created and are related to mixed gap states. For different values of the mixing strength a phase diagram can be drawn. The creation of the mixed gap states can be also explained within the continuum approximation with the Takayama-Lin-Liu-Maki model. In order to investigate charge transfer between two Peierls chains, the calculations are extended to a system with two coupled chains. Different ground state configurations occur, depending on the coupling stength and the chain length. In the case of an excitation perpendicular to the chain axis, a strong charge transfer between the chains is observed. Furthermore the Pariser-Parr-Pople model is used to take into account the Coulomb interaction between the Pi-electrons. A model parameter set can be determined by fitting the experimental values. The energy absorbed by the chain and the soliton dynamics are discussed in this model.

Neste trabalho sintetizamos o poli(2-hidrocloreto de 2-piridinium-2-piridilacetileno ), P2EPH, e o estudamos do ponto de vista vibracional. O produto obtido na síntese deste polímero possuía quantidade diferente de anéis piridínicos protonados e não protonados em relação àquela proposta na literatura, indicando a necessidade de uma revisão do mecanismo sugerido para esta polimerização. Para a obtenção dos espectros Raman do P2EPH, a interferência da fluorescência apresentada por este polímero na região visível foi eliminada pela utilização de superfícies de prata metálica ( eletrodo, pastilha e colóide) ou de radiação excitante no UV (244,0 nm). A obtenção dos espectros Raman deste polímero permitiu uma atribuição mais precisa de suas bandas através da comparação com os espectros Raman de outros polímeros similares. Esta, por sua vez, possibilitou a correção da atribuição corrente na literatura das bandas do estiramento C=C da cadeia polimérica e do anel piridínico. Variando a energia da radiação excitante percebemos que a frequência de algumas bandas Raman (em aproximadamente 1160, 1230, 1300 e 1500 cm-1) apresentavam deslocamento. Esta característica, denominada dispersão Raman ou fotosseletividade, também é notada para o poliacetileno e é atribuída à heterogeneidade da amostra polimérica. Outra variação observada nos espectros Raman com diferentes excitações foi a da intensidade relativa das bandas. Para radiações excitantes de menor energia as bandas mais proeminentes do espectro foram aquelas atribuídas, principalmente, a vibrações da cadeia poliacetilênica, enquanto que, para excitações de maior energia as bandas relativas aos anéis de piridina e piridinium se sobressaíram. Esta diferença é atribuída à ressonância das radiações excitantes com os diferentes cromóforos do polímero. Mesmo quando a excitação foi feita com radiação em 244 nm alguns modos da cadeia poliacetilênica puderam ser observados e quando utilizamos radiação excitante em 632,8 nm apareceram bandas dos anéis piridínicos, mostrando que existe acoplamento mecânico entre os cromóforos. Também estudamos o comportamento do monômero do P2EPH, a 2-etinilpiridina, em eletrodo de prata variando o potencial aplicado e o pH da solução, através do efeito SERS (Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering). As variações observadas na intensidade das bandas foram interpretadas considerando uma mudança de orientação da molécula em relação à superfície. Foi também observada a formação do íon 2-piridilacetileto (formado pela abstração do hidrogênio acetilênico da 2-etinilpiridina) em potenciais inferiores ou igual a −0,7 V na solução não acidulada. / In this work we synthesized and studied the vibrational spectra of poly(2-pyridinium hydrochloride-2-pyridylacetylene ), P2EPH. This polymer presents different amounts of pyridine and pyridinium rings when compared with previously reported data in literature. This difference points out the need of a review in the proposed mechanism. The fluorescence interference presented by this polymer was precluded using silver surfaces (electrode, pellet or colloid) or excitation in 244.0 nm. Raman spectra obtained through these techniques were useful to improve the assignment of P2EPH peaks. Toe assignment proposed in this work corrects the current one, showing that the peaks due to polyacetylenic backbone, pyridine and pyridinium ring C=C stretching appear, respectively, at 1532, 1588 and 1620 cm-1. When the energy of the excitation was changed we observed a shift in some Raman bands (close to 1160, 1230, 1300 and 1500 cm-1). This feature, called Raman dispersion or photoselectivity, has been observed in polyacetylene and was related to the polymeric sample inhomogeneity. Besides the frequency variation, the relative intensities have changed with different exciting radiation. When lower energy radiation was used, the Raman spectra obtained were similar to the polyacetylene spectrum, while, for higher energy the most intense peaks observed were pyridine and pyridinium ring vibrations. These changes in relative intensities are due to the resonance of the incident light with different chromophoric groups in the polymer. In spite of this, some peaks from backbone were observed in UV-Raman spectrum and a group of pyridine and pyridinium bands were still observed with excitation in 632.8 nm, showing the presence of mechanical coupling between the backbone and side groups vibrations. We also studied the SERS (Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering) behaviour of the P2EPH monomer, 2-ethynylpyridine, in silver electrode sweeping the potential and changing the solution pH. The changes in the band intensities were assigned to different molecule orientation on the surface. The ion 2-pyridylacetylide (2-ethynylpyridine without the acetylenic proton) was formed when the potential was − 0,7 V or more negative than that.

This thesis is concerned with the material processing, photophysical and third-order nonlinear optical responses, and applications of a set of conjugated polymers in the telecommunication regions. Polyacetylene-based third-order nonlinear optical materials were chosen as candidates for all-optical signal and image processing. Substituted polyacetylenes were obtained using ring-opening metathesis polymerization of mono-substituted cyclooctatetraenes. Polymerization and processing conditions have been developed to generate thick, large-area films possessing large third-order nonlinearities in the telecommunication bands. The good optical quality of a 200 μm thick substituted polyacetylene film allowed for image correlation via off-resonant degenerated four-wave mixing with improved diffraction efficiency. Poly(2-methoxy-5-(2-ethyl-hexyloxy)-(phenylene vinylene)) (MEH-PPV) and (6,6)-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) composites showed strong nonlinear absorption and potential as optical limiters in the region of 700-900 nm. High optical quality, thick film of MEH-PPV:PCBM with the plasticizer dioctylphthalate (DOP) were made. Optical limiting of femtosecond and nanosecond pulses in the near infrared on these composites showed strong power suppression over a broad temporal regime. Femtosecond and nanosecond transient studies on the same thick MEH-PPV:PCBM:DOP composite films and the experimental results showed evidence for the photogeneration of radical ions as being responsible for the enhanced nonlinear absorption and strong optical suppression in the near infrared. Dithienopyrrole-based donor-acceptor copolymers with narrow bandgap showed strong nonlinear absorption and potential as optical limiters in the telecommunication wavelengths. Molecular engineering was applied to manipulate the spectral overlap of two-photon absorption and subsequent nonlinear absorptions. Femtosecond transient spectroscopy showed near infrared transient absorption and 22 - 61% yields of photogenerated charge-transfer species depending on donor-acceptor coupling strength. Torsional fluctuations of the backbone structure potentially affected the excited state behavior. Evidence suggests that ultrafast relaxation occurs to ground state and to long-lived charge-transfer state from the initially excited state. The dispersion of nonlinear absorption measured using the Z-scan method revealed large two-photon absorption cross sections of these polymers in the telecommunication region. Large suppression of nanosecond pulses at 1064 nm was achieved.

Activation of mammalian stress responsive pathways by plant secondary metabolites may contribute to the protection against certain chronic diseases afforded by fruit and vegetable consumption. This work focuses on the identification of plant compounds that activate the stress-responsive enzyme quinone reductase (QR) by stabilizing the transcription factor NF-E2 related factor-2 (Nrf2). Screening methanolic extracts of plants from Western Canada for QR induction in a mouse hepatoma cell line (Hepa-1c1c7) led to the identification of twenty-one extracts capable of doubling the activity of QR. Bioassay-guided fractionation of six extracts led to the identification of novel classes of compounds with QR-inducing activity including fatty-acid derived polyacetylenes, phthalides, and cannabinoids. Studies using low molecular weight thiols and the recombinantly expressed protein Keap1, the principal negative regulator of Nrf2, supported a mechanism of QR activation involving covalent modification of Keap1 cysteines for the polyacetylenes and phthalides. Analysis of transcriptional changes in response to treatment with a panel of QR-inducing compounds provided strong support for Nrf2 activation by the polyacetylene (3S,8S)-falcarindiol and the isothiocyanate (R)-sulforaphane and weaker support for the compounds (3R,8S)-falcarindiol, 6-isovaleryl-umbelliferone (6-IVU) and (Z)-ligustilide. Additionally, transcript level analyses supported a role for the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor in QR-activation by (3R,8S)-falcarindiol, (Z)-ligustilide, (R)-sulforaphane, 6-IVU and cannabidiol and suggested that treatment with polyacetylenes with a (3R)-configuration, (Z)-ligustilide and 6-IVU causes substantial changes in the expression of genes associated with lipid homeostasis and energy metabolism. As a whole, this work provides evidence that compounds that activate QR (and Nrf2) are widely distributed in the Canadian flora. However, of these QR activators, few are active at concentrations that are expected to be achieved through dietary consumption. Nevertheless, the most exceptional compounds isolated in this work, the compounds (3S,8S)-falcarindiol and epoxyfalcarindiol are highly potent and appear to be or are expected to be specific for activating Nrf2 and thus warrant attention with respect to dietary implications and as drug candidate leads.